Larree
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6/8/2017 2:20:47 PM
Chicago was a great band. Blood, Sweat, & Tears, too.
And Phil Lesh, original bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, played trumpet and composed modern classical music before Jerry asked him to play bass in the band... even though Phil never played bass before in his life!
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Richard Scotti
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6/10/2017 11:22:01 AM
---- Updated 6/10/2017 11:47:37 AM
Basically, I have the ability to write songs in almost any genre but I don't have a burning desire to do so. I do have a folder of songs I've written in various styles but I keep it under wraps.
Of all the advice I've gotten over the years, the thing that has stuck with me is that it's difficult to establish yourself as an artist who does "a little bit of everything". When asked what kind of music do you write, the worst answer is "I do it all". Whether or not that answer is actually true or not is besides the point. It's a difficult answer to prove convincingly. Specialization is more effective than generalization.
I do however, enjoy exploring other genres and recording different stuff just for fun. Learning about different styles makes one a better artist and informs whatever one chooses as their main musical endeavor. There is substantial amount of versatility within each genre. What I'm doing on my next CD is totally Americana Rock but it incorporates country, rock, blues, gospel, acoustic folk rock with a variety of instruments like fiddles, steel guitars, slide guitars, all kinds of electric and acoustic guitars, hammond organ, harmonica, banjo, all kinds of different drum kits and different bass guitars from song to song. I guess that could be called "versatility". It's still "fun" but it's also serious work and some of the dark themes that I have explored with the lyrics have been both cathartic and exhausting. It's raw
and real. Nothing was filtered out or self-censored. While it is not entirely autobiographical, it does combine stories of others merged with my stories.
I tried to tap into the feeling of the moment and the collective angst that we all experience because of our own fears, joys, regrets and sense of longing and the need for love, friendship, respect, personal safety and purpose in a time when nothing is predictable or guaranteed. My previous work was much more hopeful and optimistic. My new work does not lack these elements but they are tempered by the need to face the music, so to speak, the need to face reality and soldier on in spite of very ominous conditions. It's about doing the most you can do in the time you have left. It's not the years in your life that count - it's the life in your years. Life will always be a combination of darkness and light. It's unrealistic to say that it's all one or the other.
One can only walk down one road at a time. Sometimes you don't know which road to take but if you want to get somewhere you have to pick a road and see where it takes you. Sometimes you get lost and you double back to where you were and try a different road until you find the destination that calls to you and allows you to be as authentic to your highest self as you can be. I've chosen my road and can see a town in the distance and I hear some interesting sounds. I see some beautiful scenes of nature along this road. I've met some wonderful people. They've given me some good direction. I'm almost where I want to be. It's been a long journey but I'm almost home.
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